We men play a lot of roles: father, son, brother, husband, friend, coach, mentor, guide. But the one role that’s at most men’s core—especially those with families—is provider-protector. It’s the way we tend to see ourselves, and the way women see us too. Part of being a good provider protector (which should be only a single element of what makes a man a man) involves having contingency plans for how the family will be taken care of if something unexpected happens. That’s why the results of the 2012 Aflac Workforces Report should really be a wakeup call for us and our families. Here’s some of the findings about America’s workers: Over half of American workers (51 percent) are trying to reduce debt. 70% of men are either only “somewhat confident” or “not at all confident” in their financial future 28 percent have less than $500 in savings to pay for out-of-pocket

An 11-year old boy raided the family fridge. Big deal–I’d be amazed if an 11-year old didn’t raid the fridge. But for his parents, that simple act was so bad that they made him spend every night in a tiny jail-cell of a room–concrete walls and floor, no windows (the only one had been bricked up), a bare bulb for light, and a ratty mattress and sleeping bag for warmth. Apparently there was a starvation element, too. Doctors who examined the boy after his rescue said he was underweight and anemic. This punishment (aka torture) went on for an entire year–and might have gone on a lot longer if people at his school hadn’t begun to wonder why he was hungry all the time and notified the authorities. Now, if you thought that was outrageous, the parents were sentenced to just two years in jail–doesn’t sound like nearly enough to